REGULATIONS
of III International Photography Contest «LIGHT AND COLOUR» - 2026
The International Photography Contest “LIGHT AND COLOUR” will be held for Russian and international photographers for the third time.
Applications for the Contest can be submitted free online on the Project website: https://svet-tsvet.ru/: from 27 January to 7 April 2026
The overall theme of the International Photography Contest in 2026 - ‘New reality: through the present into the future’ - concerns the topical issues of our days and aims to demonstrate how positive change in social environment, culture and ecology impacts future life of people and paves the road to tomorrow. The theme sets broad direction of visual conceptualization of passage to a new reality and enables to demonstrate how today’s trends, technologies and practices shape the face of future. It is not just a snapshot of the moment, but artistic forecast, where photography becomes a tool for the exploration of possible world evolution scenarios, a dialogue between the present and the nascent.
Organizers: City Administration of Yelets district, Interregional Social Charity Foundation “Quality of Life” with the support of the JTI Russia company.
Contest mission: to exhibit all the currents of modern photography, to accumulate in a single online space best works of Russian and international authors made in the period: January 2025 - April 2026, contribute to the professional growth of photographers, development of cultural connections between Russia and other countries, and promote photography to general public as one of the most democratic forms of art.
RULES OF PARTICIPATION:
The Contest participation is open to all Russian and international professional photographers, photo artists, photo amateurs, artists, AI visual creators, art students, bloggers, designers, and travelers over 18 at the time of Contest, interested in being part of photography art community as well as showcase their best works, created within the time frame: January 2025 - 7 April 2026.
The Contest accepts documentary and conceptual photos of all streams, full colour and black and white, analogue and digital, photographs made with the use of alternative ways of shooting and printing as well as new technologies. The photographs submitted for the competition should be meaningful and visually attractive. The international panel of judges will select the Contest finalists whose works will make up the main exhibition of the International Festival in the town of Yelets on 13 - 16 August 2026.
Documentary photography allows minimal processing in graphic editors without modifying the main intent of the image: framing, correction of white balance and image density: brightness and contrast.
Artistic and conceptual photography allows for all kinds of image acquisition and processing: stereo, monocle, pinhole, lomography, multiple exposure, cyanotype, photogram, scanogram, collage, merging, use of varius filters etc. with the obligatory mention of the technique, technological device or filter used in the image description.
The use of neural networks for image generation and processing is not allowed in all nominations. A special nomination - NEURAL IMAGE - has been created for the images obtained with the use of neural networks as well as for the photos enhanced with neural networks.
Photographs that contain images of children and teenagers or explore the topics of childhood, sports and medicine will not be accepted to the Contest.
Each Contest participant can submit up to 15 photographs total: single images or series of linked together by the same topic, subject, style or visual solution, and made within the time frame stipulated by the Contest rules. In exceptional cases series started before the stipulated time frame can be accepted if one or two photos in the series were made in 2025-2026.
Attribution of photos to nominations, number of separate photos or series to be submitted to the Contest are at the sole discretion of the author. Same photograph may not be submitted to different nominations and categories.
Topics and contents of images submitted to the Contest should not violate the Contest rules, current laws of the Russian Federation and international law, should not contain advertising or erotic materials, include scenes of violence, extremism, offend any religious or ethnic groups, depict smoking, consumption of alcohol or illegal substances; images should not have watermarks, inscriptions on the face side, copyright marks, logos, names of well known brands and companies.
CONTEST NOMINATIONS:
GREEN DIALOGUE: TIME, NATURE, HUMANS
This nomination invites to a dialogue, where photograph becomes a mediator between people and nature, and includes statements on their interaction - from timid contemplation to active participation, and speaks on your behalf in the global dialogue on the future of the planet. The shots should not only demonstrate the pristine beauty of nature, reserved scenery, wild flora and fauna, but remind of social responsibility, set examples of harmonious co-existence of man and nature. Eco-villages, organic farming, ecotourism, innovation and sustainable development implementation: vertical farms, smart waste processing, bio remediation and other methods of ecological biotechnology for ecosystem regeneration as well as art objects as metaphors of environmental challenges - photograph can figuratively visualize all the above concepts and compel to deliberate action.
Important: combination of artistic value with authenticity and ecological agenda for documentary photos; depth of subject exploration, imagery, metaphor and original execution for conceptual works.
CITY: PULSE AND ENERGY
Photographs that explore the versatility of urban environment and everyday life of modern cities; bring into relief the evolution of city life in the age of digital technologies and AI, present the city as a living and evolving body with all its energy, dynamism, cultural,cross-ethnic and technological diversity, events that change life for the better. City as an organizational form of highly technological forward-looking social medium with instances of volunteering and inclusion, use of newest technologies in urban infrastructure, e.g. “smart” city, “green” roofs, other ecological elements of city environment; parks, squares, gardens, embankments as places of recreation, entertainment and people’s communication.
Important: artistic expression of the shot; ability to convey atmosphere, author’s view and non-conventional interpretation of urban scenery through composition, light and colour; documentary accurateness, ability to tell a story, arouse emotion and vivid associations within the audience.
INVISIBLE WORLDS
Beyond ordinary vision and mundane perception there lie hidden universes fanciful, mesmerizing, inconceivably spectacular. This nomination invites you to become a pioneer of those universes and bestow on the viewer a moment of revelation, when the unseen turns out to be miraculous and grandiose. Through the camera lens using micro and macro photography, infrared and X-rays, filming through microscope and telescope, innovative methods of visualisation and post-processing you can:
- penetrate the microcosm where a drop of water turns into galaxy, a grain of salt - into a masterpiece of architecture, and acid solution - into fanciful ornamentation;
- capture hidden processes passing outside the human dimension of time: cell growth, crystallization, molecule motion, insect life;
- reveal invisible spectra and present the world through infrared or X-rays, where habitual objects acquire bizarre outlines and different meanings;
- demonstrate the depth of space making distant stars and galaxies closer;
- discover aesthetics in things that normally remain unnoticed: surface textures, material structure, light effects on micro-level.
Important: artistic power; emotional response; discovery effect, aesthetic value: composition harmony, expressiveness of forms and textures even on the smallest scale; photo shot as a window to another reality.
THE UNUSUAL IN THE ORDINARY
This nomination aims to discover beauty and singularity in everyday, routine things and situations. Photographer’s task is to discern the unusual in everyday objects and relations, demonstrate to viewer how many wonders are hidden around, if you take a closer look, and photography provides an excellent tool to reveal those things.
Important: fresh look at routine objects and events, unusual angle or composition, contrasting the incompatible, irony, absurdity in daily life; ability to discern beauty in simple things and situations; originality of depicting the habitual; emotional power of shot; artistic approach to banal stories.
CONTRASTS OF BEING
Life is a constant dialogue of the opposites. We encounter contrasts at every step, and photographer has to catch and record moments when the opposites collide and don’t exclude, but complement each other bringing forth new meanings, to convey the dialogue between the worlds, conditions, generations, epochs, to show the point of passage, transformation or interaction of seemingly incompatible elements. This nomination purports presence of visual contrasts, interesting solutions with light and shadow, conflicting or harmonious colour combinations, juxtaposition of shapes and sizes, emotional paradoxes, unusual adjacency, temporal shifts, collision of epochs, opposing senses in comparison of ideas, values, world views translated through visual images.
Important: compositional cohesiveness, originality of juxtaposition, artistic expressiveness, metaphor, visuality, tension and harmony combined.
THROUGH THE LENS OF FANTASY
This nomination invites to step outside the limits of reality and explore the unlimited capabilities of the photography art. Photographs created with the use of various artistic practices and devices, including photomontage, collage, uncommon digital treatment, filters, multiple exposure, alternative image acquisition techniques (pinhole, lomography, cyanotype, photogram, scanogram etc.) whereby the usual laws of space and dimension cease to exist, and the photography serves as a creative tool rather than a means of capturing reality.
Those can be surrealistic and fictional images, dreams, memories, elements of mythology and fairy tales, futuristic forecasts of humans of tomorrow, images extending beyond the real world as well as photographs showcasing the use of modern, innovative technologies, opening new horizons in art and perception.
Important: originality of idea, unconventional view, ability to surprise, artistic expression, deliberate use of artistic devices and practices, emotional response - ability to make viewers believe that they immerse into another world; conceptual depth - meaning subtext, metaphor, author’s statement.
HUMAN AGE OF AI. TRANSFORMATION
This nomination is dedicated to visual exploration of the transformation of the essence and lifestyle of people in the era of neural digital technologies and speedy digitization of the society, changes in ways of communication, education, culture, and person at the juncture of physical and digital worlds, namely:
- transformation of daily rituals and behavioral habits;
- new forms of communication in digital environment;
- new opportunities provided by digital tecnologies and internet;
- evolution of social relations in technological era;
- emotional state of people in digital space;
- professional adaptation to new reality and advent of new professions;
- change of reality perception through technology prism;
- human interaction with artificial intelligence;
Important: To demonstrate the multi-faceted nature of human experience in the times of technological progress and artificial intelligence implementation reflecting both positive and controversial aspects of digital transformation of personality. The photographs should compel the audience to reflect on the future of the humankind in the context of rapid technology development. Both documentary photos and conceptual works with elements of artistic interpretation are accepted.
A PLAY OF LIGHT AND SHADOW
This nomination invites photographers to explore the expressive power of monochrome: demonstrate how the interaction of light and shadow transforms the reality, sets mood, changes atmosphere and discloses the hidden meaning of the scene. Light becomes a tool of creating composition, shadows serve to create graphic highlights, patterns and silhouettes, contrasts emphasize texture, volume and drama of the image, monochrome scale enhances emotional impact of the shot, in which every shade of gray is important.
Important: To demonstrate how the light and shadow model the setting and objects creating unexpected compositions and visual metaphors without the use of light, covey the scene dynamics through the play of half-tones; highlight emotional state; black and white palette should be used deliberately to enhance the expressiveness of image and idea conveyance.
Special nomination
NEUROIMAGE
This nomination is dedicated to the artificial intelligence as a new means of artistic expression and new reality exploration. It aims to demonstrate how neural network technologies transform visual culture, open new horizons for creativity, and allow to take a glance into the possible scenarios of future. The task of the Contest participants is not only to create an image or a series of images with the help of AI, but to generate a meaningful artistic image reflecting dialogue between today and tomorrow and represent the coming future of the humankind. Neural image here is not only a technical experiment, but the author’s statement on what the world may become, vivid display of new reality, unique futuristic forecast, full exploration of the Contest theme.
Important: Focus on the capabilities of neural networks, that allow to generate unique images, impossible to obtain with photo cameras and graphic processors, images that in our view can serve as a bright visual presentation of the coming changes in the life of people, demonstrate the future of the humankind and the planet Earth.
Uploading images for the Contest, please, specify neural networks that you used, include the original photo shot, if you used photo made by you as a starting point, and brief description of request for the creation of neural image.
If you create image with the use of neural networks, please, do not use the networks whose owners specify in the public offer that they reserve the rights on all the images created by their network.
Each Contest nomination has two categories: “Single photo” and “Photo series” created from 1 January 2025 to the date of submission.
SUBMISSION EVALUATION CRITERIA AND PROCESS
In all nominations the international panel of judges will, in the first place, focus on idea, concept, and artistic execution, metaphor, depth of meaning, associative power, imagery, visual attraction, and executional quality of the submissions.
The Contest organizers and the panel of judges reserve the following rights: to change the nomination under which the work will compete, rejection of submissions on the following grounds: if the author provided incorrect information about him/herself and the work, if the work is of poor quality or has no artistic value or if it doesn’t meet the Contest rules or its content violates the RF legislation.
The evaluation of the works is a three stage process: 1) moderation and check of compliance with the Contest rules, RF legislation, and technical requirements; 2) selection of finalists by the international panel of judges; 3) selection of main prize winners in each category and nomination. The voting will be anonymous and by secret ballot at the first two stages: the judges of the panel and the viewers will not be abele to see the names of the authors before the publication of the list of finalists. The participants will be able to see in their personal profiles the status of their works: accepted or rejected; shortlisted for the finale.
One winner will be selected in each nomination in “Single photo” and “Photo series” categories. The panel of judges can award for each category and nomination up to three diplomas - “Honorable mention by the panel of judges”.
The organizers will carry out the printing and framing of works for the final exhibition, creating the exposition and will publish the exhibition catalogue.
UPLOADING OF WORKS
Each Contest participant will have to register on the web-site entering in the registration form the following personal data: his/her first and last name, artistic name (if any), date of birth, e-mail, phone number, nationality, education, place of residence. They will also have to give consent to the use of their personal data and photographs within the framework of the project. After that the participant should select the nomination for which submission is made and upload the work and its description.
By uploading their works to the Contest site the participants fully accept the Contest rules and regulations, confirm the authorship of those works, i.e. that the work was made by the participant personally and there are no other parties that can claim their author rights; having the consent of models (especially for the works commissioned by others) for the photos to be used in the Contest.
By uploading a photograph to the Contest site its author also confirms that no AI was used for the creation of the work (this applies to all nominations, except NEURAL IMAGE).
By uploading their works to the Contest site the authors agrees with all the clauses of the Regulation, which constitutes a public offer - an offer by the Contest organizers to individual Contest participants, placed on the project website and grants the organizers non-exclusive license to use his/her works within the framework of the Contest and Festival, including reproduction, publication in open sources and other right of public presentation such as: publication on the Contest web-sites, partner sites, printing on posters, reproduction in mass media, social networks, Exhibition catalogue and program, in project promotion without payment of royalty fees, but with the obligatory mention of the author’s full name. Territory of the use of rights - whole world. The term of duration – until the author rights expiration.
In case of third party claims, the author undertakes to personally settle such disputes at his/her own expense.
If there are disputable situations in the process of work selection for the finale, the organizers have the right to request the author to provide the source file with saved metadata (EXIF). If metadata are missing or have been modified, if the image creation timing doesn’t meet the Contest rules, violates third party rights, the organizers can reject the submission.
All the works submitted for the Contest should be provided with a title (if any) and short description (800 characters maximum) detailing who/what is depicted on the photograph, when and where it was taken (how and with what equipment it was shot, what optical and additional devices were used, image treatment parameters), brief description of the concept or the idea of the photo. Since the panel of judges and the Contest are international we kindly ask the participants to provide the description in two languages: Russian and English.
The works should be submitted in JPG format with minimal compression, preferably no more than 5 mb, colour scheme sRGB.
After moderators approve the submission, the participant will not be able to delete or replace the photo, delete or change the account profile on the web-site.
Upon the publication of stage one voting results, the finalists should be ready within seven days to send full-size files, ready to be printed out for the exhibition and inserted in the exhibition catalogue.
PANEL OF JUDGES
The international Panel of Judges includes renowned specialists in the field of photography: acclaimed photographers, photo editors, curators, art experts, historians and professors of photography, representatives of cultural institutes from Russia and abroad. The list of judges on the Panel is given on the Contest website in EXPERTS section.
AWARDS TO FINALISTS AND CONTEST WINNERS
In each of the 9 nominations there will be one main prize winner in “Single photo” and one in “Photo series” categories. The winner will be awarded with a diploma, memorable prize and exhibition catalogue.
The panel of judges can designate 1-3 more authors in each nomination to be awarded the diploma of “Honorable mention by the panel of judges”.
The authors, whose works have been selected for the Contest finale, if they or their legal representatives are present at the Festival will be awarded memorable diplomas of contest finalists and exhibition catalogues.
Finalist diplomas and exhibition catalogues can be received after the Festival ends by getting in contact with the organizers and paying the postage costs.
Long list contains names of the Contest finalists, whose works will be shown at the final exhibition and printed in the exhibition catalogue. This list will be publishe after the panel of judges finishes their work.
Short list containing the names of winners of the main prizes and “Honorable mention by the panel of judges” diplomas without specification of winning places will be published before the start of the Festival.
The names of prize and diploma winners will be announced at the official opening ceremony of the International Festival “LIGHT AND COLOUR” on 13 August 2026 in the town of Yelets.
CONTEST TIMELINE
Contest Regulation publication – 26 January 2026
Publication of the list of judges – 26 January 2026
Free application and works uploading on the Contest website: from 27 January to 7 April 2026. The application deadline is 7 April at 21:59 Moscow time.
Selection of finalists by the International Panel of Judges: before 1 May 2026.
Long list of finalists publication: 7 May 2026.
Collection of full size files from the Contest finalists for Exhibition and catalogue printing: 8-15 May 2026.
Selection of winners in each nomination and the authors for the special mention by the Panel of Judges: 25 May 2026.
Preparation of the Exhibition and the catalogue: 1 June – 15 July 2026.
Publication of short list with the information on the main prize winners without mentioning their status, diploma winners and authors with a special mention by the Panel of Judges: 15 June 2026.
Finalists Exhibition opening in Yelets - 13 August 2026.
Announcement of prize and diploma winners at the official opening of the International Photography Festival “LIGHT AND COLOUR” in Yelets - 13 August 2026.
The Contest rules may be subject to modification and amendment.
